1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for dynamically and efficiently specifying and determining a set of relevant rule instances in an application context with hierarchical data with implied inheritance, and more particularly to a system and method for dynamically determining a set of relevant rule for a general class of e-commerce applications.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A number of conventional systems and methods are available for determining a value for a rule instance applicable to a data context. These systems, may use implicit techniques, such as selecting the simplest rule or the highest priority rule. However, these systems and methods have shortcomings. They may not give the maintainer full control over rule selection, they may not support applications with hierarchical data, and they may not provide for a robust inheritance model.
Due to these limitations, conventional rules systems have not been applied successfully to e-commerce and other applications, where the selection of the rule and behavior of the system may be very predictable. The hierarchical rules engine disclosed herein may alleviate these problems by giving the maintainer a powerful, hierarchical model in which to define rules and their applicability with clear control.